SURGICAL/CRITICAL CARE
the patient further reduces the strain on the clinical staff, which can improve the exam room workflow.
“However, patient transfer and position- ing are only the beginning of the patients’ experience – what about during the actual exam or procedure?” Boehnlein continued. “When designing a healthcare ecosystem that promotes an efficient and effective workflow, we want to help ensure that pro- viders have everything they need, not just in the exam room, but at the point of care. “For example, providers can utilize a mobile treatment cabinet to position their supplies to be within arm’s reach through- out the duration of the exam or procedure,” he noted. “This way, providers can focus on the patient’s needs during the entirety of the exam instead of spending valuable time away from the patient, grabbing sup- plies in another room. Should providers need an additional work surface for the exam or procedure, a mobile treatment cabinet can be used, or providers can utilize a mobile workstation to place their laptop or other device on, right next to them and the patient. Instead of providers having to constantly leave the patient’s side or the room to get everything they need during the exam, what if we design everything they need to be easily positioned at the point of care?”
For Boehnlein, this encompasses the exam chair, mobile treatment cabinets, workstations, lighting and vital signs devices, which represents everything Midmark manufactures for the clini- cal setting. Julie Brewer, president, Patient Support
Systems, Global Surgical Solutions and Care Communications, Baxter International, which owns the Hillrom brand of equipment and products, emphasizes convenience. “Care teams are over- whelmed and overloaded and don’t need more steps added to their workflows and procedures,” Brewer said. “The best way to get more value out of an existing bed and surgical table fleet is to focus on the features that either remove manual work, like documentation, or can remove steps from the normal workflow in that care area.” With her extensive background in care and connectivity solutions and patient support systems, she has her palm on the pulse of operational demands. “For example, we sometimes see beds that have the ability to connect to their nurse call system, but the hospital hasn’t acti- vated the connection,” she noted. “While it takes some effort to integrate beds and nurse call systems, it can help streamline
Julie Brewer
the information flow to the care team, espe- cially by providing alerts and information outside the room, whether delivered on a dome light or to a mobile device. “Another potential area for efficiency is to enable remote asset tracking and remote service capabilities,” Brewer continued. “Knowing where every bed in the hospital is currently, seeing use status and access- ing potential service issues from a central app can save valuable staff time and make sure the fleet is being used as efficiently as possible.”
What providers want Suppliers prefer to be plugged into the needs and wants of their provider cus- tomers, particularly involving high-cost medical/surgical equipment. The astute recognize and understand that for- ward-thinking providers seek convenience, convergence, compatibility and portability, among leading concerns. “First and foremost, our customers are
looking for more integration of the devices and systems within the care area,” Baxter’s Brewer assured. “We see this as the first step in bringing together data from differ- ent sources so that it can be made action- able for the care team, both for real-time decisions and to identify trends that can impact efficiency and quality performance. Right now, most equipment and devices are disconnected, leaving untapped potential for connectivity solutions that bring that information together seamlessly. “In the operating room, we believe that
OR integration is the future and that goes beyond the surgical table,” she insisted. “OR integration can help with faster room setup and turnover, provide access to valu- able patient information during the proce- dure and connect members of the care team who are outside of the OR.”
For Midmark’s Boehnlein, the key terms center on workload and workflow. “Like the impressive future capabilities and features listed [in the grid], the key capabilities and elements that we have heard end users say they need or would like to have on their exam or procedure chairs all center around reducing the workload on the clinical team to promote a more effective and efficient workflow that improves the experience and outcomes for the patient,” he noted.
Boehnlein recognizes that whether ambu- latory or acute care, the future needs and wants of healthcare systems intersect and many may already be available to them. “With the recent pandemic, one of the biggest needs end users continue to focus on is infection prevention,” he indicated. “Having removable and seamless uphol- stery that is easily cleaned and disinfected
Baxter’s TS 7000 Operating Table
not only saves the clinical team time but also prevents the transmission of harmful contagions. Similarly, having an exam or procedure chair that is mobile allows the clinical team to clean the floor underneath the chair to keep the exam room clean more effectively and efficiently for each and every patient visit.
“Often, the needs and wants of provid- ers are really focused on the needs of the patients,” Boehnlein continued. “For exam- ple, many end users want a fully ADA- compliant height adjustable exam chair that allows the patient to independently transfer on and off the exam chair and allows the provider to easily position the patient. Having an exam chair with these two qualities can help improve the exam room workflow and the patient care experience.”
Still, Boehnlein notes that patients offer helpful perspectives, too. “Sometimes end users want something as
simple as a comfortable exam or procedure chair that provides a stress-free calming environment for the patient. A patient feel- ing stressed or anxious can inhibit an effi- cient workflow and negatively impact the patient’s overall care experience,” he noted. Flexibility and versality remain import- ant, too, according to Boehnlein. “Often, end users want an exam or pro- cedure chair that is versatile enough to allow clinicians to use the same chair for different clinical functions,” he said. “For example, simple features like standard
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Baxter’s Progressa+ ICU bed
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